Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Your Majesty, are you Liu Shan?"

How does he compare to Liu Shan?

Yuan Keli asked directly.

Zhu Youjian did not answer; he couldn't very well say that he was even inferior to Liu Shan.

Moreover, even if one were to say that he was superior to Liu Shan, it wouldn't be a glorious thing.

He asked Yuan Keli:

"I am not Liu Shan."

"The ministers are not Zhuge Liang either."

"If there were a Zhuge Liang in the court, why would I have to worry and exert myself?"

Yuan Keli chuckled upon hearing this, not feeling that the emperor looked down on him.

The higher one's official rank, the more one understands Zhuge Liang's brilliance.

Even in military affairs, which was Zhuge Liang's least forte, no one in the Ming Dynasty could compare to him.

When Yuan Keli was in charge of the Privy Council, Zhuge Liang was one of the key subjects of study when researching military affairs.

It could even be said that all civilian military officers are learning from Zhuge Liang.

Stroking his beard, Yuan Keli said:
"We are naturally no match for Zhuge Liang, and Your Majesty is not Liu Shan."

"Therefore, forcing the government to be governed by the Ge family and the sacrifices to be performed by me is like trying to catch fish by climbing a tree."

"Even the Shu Han state could not maintain this situation after Zhuge Liang's death."

"Therefore, Your Majesty's proposal that 'government should be decided by the collective, while sacrifices should be performed by me' is good, but it is not realistic at all and cannot be implemented at all."

"Your Majesty, may I ask you a question: If a court decision does not align with Your Majesty's intentions, will Your Majesty exercise your veto power?"

Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment, then, without offering any empty words, he said to Yuan Keli:
"If it is a minor matter, I will let my ministers do as they see fit."

"But if it is a matter of great importance to the country and the people's livelihood, then I have no choice but to intervene."

"After all, I am the emperor and I am responsible for the people of the world. I cannot allow some ministers to act recklessly."

Yuan Keli was fairly satisfied with his answer. What he appreciated most about the current emperor was his sense of responsibility.

If it were someone like Emperor Wanli who disregarded the fate of the nation, he would rather resign his post and return to his hometown than remain in the court.

He said to the emperor:

"Your Majesty's idea is good, but it is wrong to 'deliberate on state affairs'."

"Now that the ruling authority has been changed from the ruling line to the moral authority, what pretext does Your Majesty have for interfering in state affairs?"

“The officials in the court all know that His Majesty will not completely relinquish his rule, so they do not agree with this proposal.”

"The idea that 'government should be decided by the collective, while sacrifices should be performed by the individual' is simply impossible."

This was probably the reason why the previous proposal was not approved. After reflecting on it, Zhu Youjian realized that he would not completely give up ruling the country.

However, the interference of court officials in the orthodox tradition is ubiquitous. Even if they relinquish their power over the orthodox tradition, they will still interfere in the future.

Yuan Keli is right; this is like trying to catch fish by climbing a tree.

Of course, Zhu Youjian also had his own views on this matter, and he said to Yuan Keli:
"It is impossible for me to stay out of politics, and it is impossible for my ministers to completely abandon morality."

"Moreover, whether I relinquish power or not, governing the country cannot be separated from my ministers."

"The principle of the people and the ruler governing the world together has become a universally acknowledged truth."

"Now the officials in the court have grasped some of the power to govern, and have almost completely grasped the power of the orthodox tradition."

“They are unwilling to relinquish the orthodox tradition, which is probably why the principle of ‘governance is decided by collective deliberation, while sacrifices are performed by the emperor’ cannot be implemented.”

They believe that they delegated too much authority in the past, which is the reason for the current situation.

Yuan Keli hadn't considered things from the emperor's perspective, but after the emperor's reminder, he immediately realized that there were indeed some reasons for this.

He, for example, wasn't worried about the emperor revoking the Privy Council's power. Because the emperor controlled the military, he had to rely on them. The same was true for the Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, and other government offices; the emperor couldn't do anything without his ministers.

If that's the case, why would they exchange the orthodox tradition for the political rule?
The emperor, no matter what, must grant them political power.

Having figured this out, Yuan Keli shook his head with a wry smile and said:
"Yes!"

"Since the subjects have already assumed part of the governing authority, why should they relinquish the power of the moral authority?"

"Your Majesty should not seek to completely control the orthodox tradition; that is impossible."

"The power of the moral order should be shared by the ruler, his subjects, and the people, just as they share the rule of governance."

As he spoke, he gestured and drew a Tai Chi symbol, saying:
"Your Majesty wrote the Treatise on Yin and Yang, which contains the theory of the transformation of Yin and Yang. Why don't you understand Taiji?"

"The relationship between Yin and Yang is never clearly defined or completely opposed; rather, they are intertwined, with each containing the other."

"The same applies to the rule of governance and the rule of morality. They should not be controlled by one party but should be shared by the ruler and his ministers, and by the people."

These words, originally derived from Zhu Youjian's theory, suddenly awakened him:
I know I've strayed somewhat from the philosophical path.

Although he had already used the traditional Yin-Yang concept to explain dialectics, he was still influenced by it and placed too much emphasis on opposition.

This is an inherent flaw in Western philosophy. They overemphasize boundaries, dividing things into two or even more parts, creating a zero-sum game where one side benefits while the other suffers.

Influenced by this, Zhu Youjian held the same view on the moral orthodoxy and the political orthodoxy, believing that they must be clearly separated, and that if one side gained power, the other side would suffer.

Actually, this is incorrect. The true normal state is that in the Tai Chi symbol, there is a mutual interdependence between the two, and the boundaries between all things are never clearly defined.
"You are in me, and I am in you; this is where all things go wrong."

But the affairs of the world also come to be here.

Nothing can exist independently; we must never create a binary opposition!

Taking the concept of "governing authority" and "moral authority" as an example, the emperor held the governing authority, and the court officials also shared this power.

The ministers studied the teachings of the sages and grasped the orthodox doctrines, but the emperor could also interpret the sages' words.

This has never been clearly defined, but rather is in a state of dynamic change.

The power of the emperor and his ministers is never static.

Once Zhu Youjian understood this point, it was like a sudden awakening, giving him a deeper understanding of traditional philosophy.

He said to Yuan Keli:

"Your teachings are correct!"

"The principle of the universe is that you are in me and I am in you."

"The rule of the Way and the rule of governance have never been held by one person; they should be shared by the ruler, his ministers, and the people."

"Indeed, we should not insist that 'government is decided by collective deliberation, and sacrifices are performed by the emperor alone.'"

While the emperor was pondering, Yuan Keli had already begun his meal.

Hearing the emperor's words, he knew the emperor had truly understood. He swallowed his food and said:
"It's good that Your Majesty has figured it out."

"There are never clear boundaries between powers."

"In the past, power was shared between the monarch and his subjects. When the monarch was powerful, the subjects had less power."

"When the monarch is weak, the power of the ministers is naturally stronger."

"Your Majesty changed the system of joint rule between the monarch and his ministers to joint rule between the monarch, his ministers, and the people, and established the National People's Congress to represent the will of the people, and formulated rites and laws to redistribute power."

"If Congress can gain a foothold in the court in the future and take charge of the law and supervise the distribution of power, the power between the emperor and his ministers will be balanced and will no longer be as unstable as before."

"This is the line in the Tai Chi diagram; civil rights will maintain the balance of power between the monarch and his subjects."

This was his understanding of the shared governance of the emperor, his ministers, and the people. Zhu Youjian listened and nodded repeatedly, feeling that he deeply understood it.

At this moment, he no longer aspired to fully master the Daoist tradition.

The plan is to redistribute power related to the moral tradition, just like political power, through the reformation of ritual and music.

As long as he controlled the power of sacrifices, and with the support of the Great Harmony Academy, the Academy of Sciences, and the Hanlin Academy, he believed that the emperor would surely have a place in the lineage of Confucianism in the future. (End of Chapter)